About The Center For Small GovernmentWe aim to dismantle, reduce, and remove unnecessary, wasteful, or harmful Big Government policies and programs. We aim to shrink overall government spending, taxes, authority, debt, assets, and liabilities.
We focus on proposals that would substantially reduce Big Government and which appeal to everyday voters — so they can be implemented by elected officials or by ballot initiative.There are plenty of activists, pundits, commentators, think tanks, blogs, websites and candidates for public office who oppose Big Government. They’ll tell you all about what’s wrong with Big Government Programs, high taxes, government debt, high government spending or government meddling.
We agree with those who advocate against Big Government.
But we need much more.
We must do more than decry the damage done by Big Government. Or the wastefulness of Big Government.
When we call for action, we must do more than merely “hold the line” on Big Government or fight against the latest expansion of Big Government.
We must go on the offensive – and put Big Government on the defensive. We must put small government in the driver’s seat.
If all we do is talk about what’s wrong with Big Government, we lose. Because when we’re talking about Big Government – even if we’re opposing it – we’re allowing Big Government advocates to control the agenda. They limit our choices to variations on more Big Government.
We need the opposite: choices for small government.
We must articulate and advance a small government agenda by proposing specific small government solutions that dismantle, reduce and remove Big Government such as:
* Dramatic cuts in overall government spending
* Huge, immediate tax cuts that benefit everyone
* Repeal, reduction and dismantling of Big Government laws, programs and bureaucracies
* Government reforms that enable us to shrink Big Government such as true transparency of government finance.
99% of all the political commentary, campaign rhetoric and election news coverage you’ll hear is about sustaining or expanding Big Government. The Center For Small Government is about shrinking Big Government. About moving America – a quickly as possible – towards small government.Center For Small GovernmentC4SGFounded by Carla Howell and Michael Cloud, the Center For Small Government is a non-partisan, grass roots organization with thousands of generous volunteers and donors who want to shrink Big Government.Carla HowellCarla Howell is Co-founder of the Center For Small Government, currently on leave. She spearheaded two End the Income Tax statewide ballot initiatives in Massachusetts (in 2002 and 2008) and one initiative to Roll Back the Sales Tax from 6.25% to 3% (2010).
Each initiative won close to 1,000,000 votes (885,683 in 2002; 901,802 in 2008; and 966,973 in 2010) — in a state that’s a hotbed of Big Government.
In 2002 she ran for Governor against Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Shannon O’Brien, making the case for Ending the Income Tax in six televised debates.
In 2000 she ran against Ted Kennedy and won 308,860 votes – the highest vote total of any third party U.S. Senate candidate running against both a Democrat and Republican in recent history.
In 1998, she ran for State Auditor and won enough votes to establish the Libertarian Party in Massachusetts (she has since become an independent and supports candidates based on their demonstrated commitment to shrinking Big Government rather than on party affiliation). She was endorsed by the Boston Herald.
Carla Howell is also a political songwriter. In 2001 she released her spoof song How Could I Live Without Filing Taxes? In 2003 she published a unique song-and-booklet package on the topic of education freedom called Maybe We Would Be Amazed.
Prior to becoming politically active, Carla Howell worked for over 20 years in management, marketing and engineering in the fields of high tech and health care.Michael Cloud Michael Cloud is President and Co-founder of the Center For Small Government. He also co-founded the Massachusetts End the Income Tax ballot initiatives with Carla Howell, serving as spokesperson, primary fund-raiser and Communications Director.
In 2002 Michael Cloud ran for US Senate against 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, winning 19% of the vote — the highest vote for a Libertarian US Senate candidate ever.
Michael Cloud was C.E.O. of the 2000 Carla Howell for U.S. Senate campaign. In 1996 he organized the Harry Browne for President campaign, and was fund-raiser and key adviser to Browne for both his 1996 and 2000 campaigns.
Michael Cloud has been politically active since 1976 and has raised over $8 million for small government candidates, projects, and initiatives.
Michael Cloud is a speechwriter and the Master of libertarian communication. He writes the Persuasion Power Points column for over 70,000 readers of the Advocates for Self-Government Liberator Online and is author of the book Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion.
Carla Howell and Michael Cloud write Small Government News, an email newsletter that is published approximately every two weeks; more often around elections.To make government small by advancing specific proposals to dramatically reduce the size of Big Government at all levels — federal, state, and local.Small GovernmentSmall government is a night watchman. A skeleton crew. A tiny institution restricted to defending our lives, liberty, and property.
Small government is a mere fraction of the cost, authority, resources, power, and size of today’s Big Government.
SimplicitySmall government is simple and cheap.ThriftSmall government is thrifty and effective.AccountabilitySmall government is accountable and responsible.
There’s no place to hide waste and corruption in a small government budget.LibertySmall government means individual liberty and personal responsibility.Personal ResponsibilitySelf-RelianceSmall government enables and encourages self-reliance and voluntary cooperation. Creativity and productivity. Progress and prosperity.Voluntary CooperationCreativity Productivity Progress ProsperityMutual AidSmall government leaves us with the resources and responsibility for supporting our families.
It leaves us able and willing to support mutual aid and voluntary charity.Voluntary CharityActionIt leaves us free to act from the love of our families, compassion for neighbors truly in need, and empathy for those unable to help themselves.
Small government is beautiful.LoveFamiliesCompassion NeighborsEmpathyTaxesEliminate redundancies and determine whether the Federal Government should be involved in each objective.1Congress should tell Special Interests: You get just one lollipop --
Fifteen different federal agencies oversee food-safety laws. More than 20 programs “help” the homeless. Eighty programs are for “economic development.”
These are some of the findings of a new report from the Government Accounting Office which uncovers massive redundancy in the federal government.
Congress needs to tell the legions of Special Interests knocking on their doors for favors everyday that duplicate federal agencies will not be tolerated. Struggling taxpayers, workers and businesses need that money.
“You may have just one lollipop. Not 15. Not 20. Not 80. Just one.”
We want one-stop shopping. No more than one government program or agency per objective.
But this is just the first step. We still need to examine the one agency that remains for redundancy and waste.
We also must determine whether government belongs in this area at all. 99% of all problems are worse served by government than by the marketplace, charities, churches, social groups, family and friends.
Congressmen and women, especially those who call themselves Tea Party Supporters:DefundingImmediately defund every redundant agency and program. 1.1Leave no more than one in any area of government.
Redundancy ReductionReduce and remove redundancy and the money spent for it. 1.2Do not “consolidate” overstaffing and overspending under one bigger roof.
Government SpendingCut TOTAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING. 1.3Don’t blow the freed up money on something else.SavingsTo be sure the savings move out of government coffers, cut taxes or reduce deficit spending by the same amount. 1.4If you eliminate $200 billion in redundant spending, then cut total federal spending or taxes by $200 billion.Government Spending2Pensions & ElectionsVote out of office politicians who pour billions of dollars into their own and their allies’ government employee retirement packages, and elect candidates who have the courage and integrity to take specific action that will bring government employee retirement pay and benefits in line with those of everyday taxpayers.2.1Carla HowellAuthorWhile some state lawmakers have begun to rein in the high cost of government employee benefits, they have only scratched the surface. Dramatic reductions in government retiree payouts and retirement fund subsidies are needed now to bring them in line with Social Security.
This will start to balance government employee compensation with what workers get in the private sector and stave off the debt crises that are unfolding in federal, state and local governments.
Meanwhile government employees will still enjoy a host of other advantages such as higher wages, better medical insurance plans with lower co-pays and lower deductibles, more vacation time, more personal and sick days, and more job security.
Question 1:
Will you vote out of office the politicians who raid your Social Security savings and cut your Social Security benefits — while they continue to pour billions of dollars into their own and their allies’ government employee retirement packages?
Question 2:
Will you vote for candidates who have the courage and integrity to take specific action that will bring government employee retirement pay and benefits in line with those of everyday taxpayers?
Spending ReductionDramatically reduce federal government spending now, and substantially reduce it again next year, and the next ,2.2Michael CloudAuthorToday’s Sky-High Government Spending is the #1 Biggest, Most Urgent, Most Dangerous Threat to America’s Survival.
High government spending drives up taxes and government borrowing.
High government spending is fueled and funded by high taxes, deficits, ever-increasing government debt, and inflation.
High government spending weakens and burdens the economy.
High government spending deprives small businesses of badly-needed income and earnings. It weakens fragile young businesses. It prevents, delays, and drives down small business job creation.
America’s survival requires a thriving and growing economy. One with robust, expanding small businesses. With private investments, private ventures, private enterprises.
Unless we dramatically reduce federal government spending now, and substantially reduce it again next year, and the next – the private sector in America will shrivel and shrink.
Without vibrant and vigorous private sector small businesses, America will follow the lonely path to the graveyard of once-great nations and civilizations.
With radically reduced government spending, with a prospering and proliferating private sector, America can rise faster and higher than we can imagine.State-Owned PropertiesSell state-owned properties and let the free market determine where money should go and where jobs should be created.2.3Carla HowellAuthorSell off all state-owned convention centers, get the state out of the business, and let the marketplace decide what the job is worth – or if the property should be sold off for another use.
There’s a long list of state-owned properties, especially in Boston, that should be sold – along with their unnecessary, overpriced and ineffective bureaucracies. Let the free market determine where money should go and where jobs should be created (at market prices, not inflated prices).
As with any spending cut, the saving should be realized by the taxpayer alone – not horded in state coffers. Proceeds from the sale of assets should be used to pay off existing government debt, thus reducing debt payments. Total government spending should be reduced by both (a) the amount saved in debt payments and (2) the agency’s operating costs – with commensurate cuts in broad-based taxes.
If we don’t cut total government spending and total tax revenues, politicians will merely gobble up the savings and spend them on other Big Government boondoggles – and we will make no headway whatsoever.State & Local Government BailoutsOppose all federal government bailouts for state governments or local governments.2.4We request that all 242 Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives pledge to actively oppose and vote against all federal government bailouts for state governments or local governments.
No Funding bailouts for state or local governments.
No Loans for state or local governments.
No Loan Guarantees for state or local governments.
No cash. No loans. No loan guarantees. No co-signing.
Not for California. Not for Massachusetts. Not for Illinois. Not for New York. Not for any state or local government.
They must live within their own means. They must reduce and remove fat and non-essential spending from their budgets. They must seek and find ways to accomplish their essential duties – with lower overhead and less money.Health Care3Burdens & BarriersRepeal and removing government-created burdens and barriers on medical care.3.1Michael CloudAuthorImagine that the federal and state governments imposed laws, regulations, restrictions, and mandates on medical care that drastically increased the cost — without improving medical care.
What if it were possible to cut your medical care costs by 20% or 30% or even 50% now — while keeping current levels of quality and service — by repealing and removing these government-created burdens and barriers?
If this were possible, would you want it?
Would you want the U.S. Congress to repeal and remove these laws, regulations, restrictions, and mandates?
Would you want your state legislature to do the same?
Yes? Well, these government-imposed burdens and barriers DO exist — and your federal and state legislators CAN repeal and remove them.
Would you like to see a small sample?
Price AdvertisingAllow price advertising. 3.1.1Let pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, and laboratories to publish their prices for goods and services. Eliminate all laws, regulations, and government provisions that hinder or prevent medical providers from posting their prices.
Charges for the same medical procedure can vary 30% to 300% within a 100-mile radius. But without price information, patients can’t shop for the best value.
In the 1970’s, U.C.L.A. Economist Sam Peltzman compared the costs of eyeglasses in states that allowed price advertising and states that outlawed it. Results? Much lower prices in states that allowed price advertising.Prescription DrugsLet all Americans buy prescription drugs outside the United States. Do NOT force them to travel abroad. 3.1.2Allow them to have the prescription drugs shipped to their homes.
I’ve seen the 30% to 60% savings in prices of prescription drugs purchased in Mexico.
International competition for prescription drugs will drive down domestic prescription prices.Medical InsuranceLet all people buy medical insurance across state lines.3.1.3In New Jersey, a single man would pay $4,000 for medical insurance. If he lived in Pennsylvania, he’d pay $1,500. If the New Jersey man could buy medical insurance from a Pennsylvania provider, he’d save $2,500 a year.
Imagine this all across America.
This would cut medical insurance costs for millions who already have needlessly overpriced premiums.
AND, if the American Enterprise Institute study is correct, this would make medical insurance affordable for 12 million uninsured Americans.
Cash DiscountsLet doctors and patients negotiate discounts for paying cash. 3.1.4If a patient saves a doctor the time, trouble, delay and cost of dealing with insurance companies, Medicare, or Medicaid – let the doctor and patient share the savings.ContractsLet patients, doctors, and hospitals enter into into legally binding, limited-liability contracts. 3.1.5This would reduce the cost of medical treatment by reducing the cost of malpractice insurance.
Just as Prenuptial Agreements limit marital risk, limited-liability contracts will limit medical risk.Government MandatesEnd all government mandates that require businesses or individuals to buy medical insurance. 3.1.6End all government mandates that punish and tax those who do NOT buy medical insurance. Make insurance companies earn our business with lower prices and better quality — rather than lobby government to compel us to buy medical insurance by force of law. (See Carla Howell’s excellent essay, “Why We Need More UNinsured Americans”.)Free Market & CharityReplace Big Government health care and government-mandated insurance with free market and charitable health care.3.2Carla HowellAuthor... Whenever an insurance company pays for health services, it drives up everyone’s cost — yours included — and renders health care services clumsy, inefficient, and even dangerous.
Neither patients nor providers have incentive to keep costs down. This encourages doctors to prescribe procedures you don’t need — raising costs for insurance companies. They respond in turn by raising the price of your premiums, raising the amount you must pay for co-pays and deductibles, and reducing the services they cover.
In addition, excess treatment can put your health at risk. Patients who undergo unnecessary tests, operations, and drug regimens sometimes end up with worse medical problems than they started with.
At the same time, insurance rules forbid practitioners from giving you services you actually need. Again, your health suffers.
When you pay directly for services, you or someone you trust is in the driver’s seat. You and your health care providers have direct incentive to give you high quality care at a reasonable price.
Medical insurance co-pays, deductibles, and coverage denials make medical bills confusing and hard to read. Billing errors are common — and difficult to correct. You’re forced to either pay what your bill instructs you to pay or to try to avoid overpayment by submerging yourself in paperwork that can be as complicated and infuriating as filing taxes.
The best way to minimize billing hassles is to forgo medical insurance and pay your providers directly for medical services...Education[Enable] homeowners who do NOT put students into public schools to take a tax credit for the part of property taxes that pays for public schools. 4Michael CloudAuthor... Every homeowner who does NOT put a student into the local public schools gets a 100% tax credit for the part of property taxes that pays for public schools. $3,000 back each year.
Each homeowner is free to choose. Use the public schools and pay the tax. Or don’t use the public schools and don’t pay the tax.
Each homeowner without children in the public schools can choose to take the $3,000 a year tax cut - or keep paying it...TransportationReplace the TSA with effective, zero-cost airline security.5Carla HowellAuthorEliminate the wasteful, intrusive, and ineffective Transportation Security Administration (TSA) which runs the airport security check you must pass through to get to your gate. Replace it with a much more effective means of providing airport security by giving the airlines the freedom they need to protect their customers.
Allow each airline to set its own policies such as:
Whether to require screening of passengers and baggage and what screening methods to use
How to protect passengers on board. For example, one airline may train and arm flight crews to provide protection. Another may allow passengers to be armed for self-defense. Yet another may prohibit all arms and rely instead on screening of passengers and baggage.
Having options lets customers decide what level of cost, delays and intrusion they are willing to tolerate in exchange for added security by choosing the airlines whose policies suit them best.
Airlines should also be permitted to fully arm their own security personnel on the tarmac and in terminals (which was NOT permitted at Logan Airport on 9/11) so they are ready to take down a terrorist.
To offset the reduction in spending after eliminating the TSA, we can cut federal taxes. One option is to reduce income tax rates so that the total income tax levy goes down by $7 billion, which is what the TSA now costs every year. Another option is to reduce airport fees imposed on airlines and passengers, which will drive down the cost of flying.
Eliminating the TSA, freeing up airlines to protect their customers and cutting taxes will:TerroristsMake it more difficult for mastermind terrorists as well as amateur shoe bombers to board planes
5.1Crew & PassengersMake crew and passengers better prepared to thwart an attack during a flight, making airline passengers more safe and secure.
5.2Privacy & SafetyAllow Americans to decide for themselves what level of intrusion into their privacy is effective and worth surrendering in exchange for more safety measures.5.3Tax SavingsSave taxpayers an average of $70 – every year.
5.4Air TravelMake air travel faster and more convenient5.5TSA EncountersSpare passengers from embarrassing and invasive encounters with TSA personnel at the airport5.6Public Safety6There are no Small Government Proposals for Public Safety.Government DebtDramatically reduce federal government spending now, and substantially reduce it again next year, and the next.7[Repeated from Objective 2.2]Regulations8There are no Small Government Proposals for Regulations.2013-09-27http://www.centerforsmallgovernment.com/about-center-for-small-government/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net